Thousands of Israelis took to the streets following the announcement of the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in what demonstrators are already calling “Gallant Night 2”, in reference to similar demonstrations last March. In Tel Aviv, thousands of protesters blocked the Ayalon highway in both directions, lighting fires and erecting barricades with hundreds of concrete blocks from a nearby construction site. Police used water cannons and, unusually, skunk (smelly liquid) to disperse the demonstrators, including families of hostages present at the scene.
In Jerusalem, near the prime minister's residence, protesters attempted to break through security barriers, leading to clashes with police who also deployed water cannons. Thousands also demonstrated in Haifa, where cries of “Bibi traitor” rang out at the Horev intersection.
Israeli Police Chief Danny Levi ordered increased troop levels, saying that while the right to protest would be respected, no violence or degradation would be tolerated. Around forty protesters were arrested during the evacuation operations on the Ayalon highway.
Protest organizations, including Free in Our Land, strongly criticized Netanyahu's decision, calling it irresponsible in the midst of war. The Hostage Families Forum also denounced this decision, seeing it as an attempt to sabotage negotiations for the release of the hostages.
Gallant, who was previously the subject of an attempted dismissal in March 2023, reaffirmed that “the security of Israel has been and always will be my life's mission,” attributing his dismissal to his opposition to the law. exemption from military service and his position on the hostage agreement.
